25 Coolest Athletes: Ayrton Senna

Karan Jain on how no one pushed the boundaries quite like Senna did

For Ayrton Senna, racing in Formula One was just another metaphor for life. “On a given day, a given circumstance, you think you have a limit. You then go for this limit and you touch it, and you think ‘OK, this is the limit’. But when you touch this limit, something happens and you can suddenly go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct and the experience as well, you can fly very high,” he once said.

And nobody could push the boundaries of what was possible like Senna. He brought to F1 a level of skill and focus never seen before. Instead of falling in line behind well-known and established drivers on the circuit, he challenged and infuriated them by constantly winning. Even when he had an inferior car – like the 1984 Toleman or the 1987 Lotus – he outmaneuvered, out-strategized and out-drove the competition. And when it rained, he was unstoppable. Senna had an instinctive ability to read the track and conditions like nobody else, knowing exactly how much grip the car and the corner offered, and would often outlap faster cars during wet races – like he did in Donnington Park in 1993.

His matchless passion and fury on the track was only surpassed by his magnanimity off it. A devout Christian, he gave away millions from his earnings to the underprivileged in his native Brazil. His humility and modesty gave his impoverished countrymen hope and inspiration. He was respected, applauded, admired and loved by everyone he came into contact with, even bitter rival Alain Prost.

Most unforgettable was the image of him staring quietly into the distance, trying to find inner tranquillity before every race – a wild-eyed boy from São Paulo who took on the world. And won.

To mark the London Olympics, GQ's July issue features the 25 coolest athletes of all time. Get your copy at a local newsstand or subscribe here.